All He Knew, by Helen Frost

     The newest book by veteran author Helen Frost, and what a beautiful and terrible story it is. The main character, Henry, falls ill as a very young boy and loses his hearing. Back when this story takes place, around the time of World War 2, most schools did not know how to work with kids with hearing loss, or those with Cerebral Palsy...anything outside of the "ordinary". They were labeled "unteachable" or "feebleminded".  So kids like Henry were often sent to institutions, which were often horrible places where the children were undernourished, emotionally and physically abused. Not a proud moment on our nation's history, for sure, and one that continued until fairly recently, sadly.

    Frost gives a fictionalized account of such a place but also weaves in the element of conscientious objectors, which were, and are, people asked to go to war but who refuse on moral or religious grounds. In All He Knew, as the regular staff gets drafted and heads to war in Europe, Conscientious Objectors, or CO's, take their place. One man, Victor, ends up at the place Henry has lived for several years, and together they create a lasting friendship, and much needed changes. 

    This story has a steady heartbeat to it, and once you start it will be hard to ignore. It will tear at your heartstrings.  You'll find yourself rooting for the good and crying for the bad.  Henry and Victor and the other characters will stay in your head long after you read the last page. That, to me, is the sign of a really great book! 5 paws!

My Year in the Middle, by Lila Quintero Weaver

     Another OBOB book in this wonderful season of really good books, and My Year in the Middle does not disappoint! A sort of fictionalized memoir of the author, who is Argentina-born but grew up in Alabama. The main character of this story is Lu, a middle school student from Argentina growing up in Alabama, navigating the tumultuous times of the South in the United States when the Civil Rights Movement was still fresh and racism was still a part of life for many people, especially in the South. Lu discovers her love of running, and this starts one of many themes woven throughout the story. In that sense the book reminds me of the Track series by Jason Reynolds, and also in its theme of race and race relations between people in Lu's life (Lu finds a best friend as the story unfolds, a Black girl named Belinda, who proves to be one of the nicest people in Lu's life but also causes some derision with her peers).

    Because this book mirrors author Weaver's life so closely, it is hard to point out anything that seems like criticism of the story itself. But it's not the story that keeps this book from having more paws, but the language Weaver gives her characters, particularly Lu. It seems very forced, very unnatural. Especially in the first half of the book, the frequent use of words like "golly" and "whippersnappers" make it seem like Weaver was trying really hard to put us into the early 1970s. I don't think those words were so wide spread in the 70s as they appear to be from this story.

    I did like the book much more past the half way point. But I couldn't help but wish during the first half that the story would either get better somehow or be a really quick book to finish. This is a really good story, but I didn't think it was the best version of what could have been an even better story. For that reason I give it 3 paws.

    If you want really good stories that delve into issues like race, diversity, and racism, especially in the United States, you could find exceptional books by writers like Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, Gary Soto, Cynthia Kadohata, and more! I would be open to reading future books by Weaver, but I'm not sure I would go looking for them on purpose. Maybe you feel differently? If so, please let me know!

Almost American Girl, by Robin Ha

     Almost American Girl is another OBOB book for this season, and the second graphic novel! This is a memoir, which is a biography but about one portion of someone's life, versus their entire life. Author Ha moved from South Korea to the United States with her single mom at a young age, and then moved from Alabama to Virginia at the start of high school. This graphic novel tells (and shows) what this was like, and will really speak to anyone who has ever moved schools, towns, states, or countries before! If you have never moved, the stories Ha tells may seem overly dramatic. But as a pug who has moved many times with my humans, I can tell you that moving can be really, really hard.

    This story is really well told, and the artwork is even better! Drawing cartoons was Ha's passion growing up, and it helped her navigate and handle these life transitions along the way. And now, she has written and illustrated this book! What perseverance! What talent! This is one of many strong OBOB titles this year - if you are not part of OBOB yet, get involved! You will love the books! 4 paws!

Healer of the Water Monster, by Brian Young

    Author Brian Young is a playwright and screenwriter, but this is his first book for young adults and teens. He is Navajo, and Healer of the Water Monster is a tale that incorporates many of the Navajo stories that explain the world and all of its workings and wonders. Similar to a Percy Jackson book, which relies on Greek mythology to create a new fictional story, Water Monster uses Navajo tales to tell the story of young Nathan and his search for his own heritage and strength. This is Nathan's hero's journey, using native American folklore as the vehicle for the story.

     I stopped reading this book twice along the way. Both times I didn't think I was going to finish it, but I kept going back to all the strong reviews it was getting and trying to convince myself that the story was going to get better if I just kept reading. It did, and for that I am grateful that I continued on. This is a really important story in YA and teen lit. But the reasons I almost stopped reading is because the writing seems so robotic a lot of the time. I found the dialogue in the book really difficult to believe. For an author who is used to writing in other genres and for other audiences, I think he really needs more practice writing for teens. It seemed like he was trying really hard to write for a younger audience that his characters lost a lot of their personality along the way.

    Rick Riordan Presents is a newer imprint that is publishing fiction books by new authors telling stories of cultures other than the white, American mainstream. We Need Diverse Books is also a publishing branch that is doing the same thing, and Water Monster was printed with their help. This is really important work, and these stories need to be written and read by all of us! This book is one of a very few teen books written with Native American culture as its backbone, and for that it is a good book to read. But Eric Gansworth and Sherman Alexie write much better stories with these same themes. For that I give this book 3 paws and a wag.

    I hope Young continues to write, and the book leaves a sequel as a possibility, but his writing needs to be a lot better if he is going to be a mainstay in teen and YA lit.